Soundproofing "while you are at it's"

[DaveMcKenz]

Hi,
I have planned and ordered materials for my soundproofing project. I have a stock 2001 Proton and would like to tone down the road and exhaust noise. I will be stripping out the interior from below the dashboard to rear bumper, all except headliner. I am sure that I will wish I had done certain things while it's all stripped. Maybe:
Upgrade rear speakers
Run wires for rear door popper
Run wires for rear camera
Any other ideas?
Thanks,
Dave

[Ldub]

It may prove informative...

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=10837&highlight=audio+build

[LittleBeast]

Rear camera also. Might as well take the ceiling down that is the easiest part. I am in the middle of the same thing right now. I have the whole ceiling sound deadened (mat) and then sound proofed (foam barrier), and the entire left side panels and rear door done with sound deadening mat and sound proofing foam barrier. The many various huge gaping holes in the sheet metal need to be covered by thin metal before you can put sound proofing products on top. You will want to put a layer on the inside of those holes before you cover them up as well. Follow the instructions here if you have any questions:

http://www.raamaudio.com/pages/How%252dTo.html

Did you only buy sound deadener? Normally that stuff is shining on one side, and sticky on the other. The primary function of that product is deadening the metal from vibrations not sound proofing. For a sound barrier you need a type of foam product as well.

[BOARZHEAD]

Do the extreme dynamat. Gave me 2.1 dbl. Louder system plus less road noise. Cost me 1000$ but worth it

[DaveMcKenz]

Thanks for the replies.
I am going the Sound Deadener Showdown route. It involves three steps: 25% coverage with deadener (Dynamat-like stick-on), 1/4" foam isolation barrier, then Mass Loaded Vinyl sheet (heavy 1 pound per square foot sound barrier).
I have limited work space, so after I pull the interior, I will do all the floors and side walls, and doors, then put the seats and carpets back in. If the sound is good I'm done. If not, I'll drop the headliner, and do the roof, before I reinstall the interior trim.
Dave

[LittleBeast]

Dave sounds like a great plan :-) but after doing it all I would still recommend going ahead and taking down the ceiling (very thin and very flat surfaces), that really will be the easiest part, and it gives you a good opportunity to put a rear light in the back in case you had not done so yet.

[mantis465]

have been looking into doing something similar to my vx, i was wondering what brand and were u were getting the MLV?

[DaveMcKenz]

Great idea to put a rear light in the ceiling. I will document the process and provide sources with prices.
Good luck,
Dave

[Etfren]

I agree with Littlebeast, the headliner is about the easiest piece to remove from the interior. I took my old one out and had a new one in in about 20 minutes by myself. Granted I have all the interior from the doors back taken out already, but its still really simple.

[DaveMcKenz]

Well, my materials are starting to arrive. I think I have about 130 pounds of sound deadener, foam and MLV. I have ordered another dome light so I can add one in parallel when I pull the headliner. Not sure when I'll get around to doing this but I'll keep you posted.
Dave

[mantis465]

was wondering the brand of MLV and supplier, also what size are the rolls it is sold on?

[DaveMcKenz]

Hi,
I bought the MLV both plain and foam backed from Super Soundproofing Co. in a 4 ft. width and it is sold by the foot. Link is:

http://shop3.mailordercentral.com/supersoundproofing/

For sound deadening, I am using B-quiet Ultimate, and some left-over Brown Bread, both sourced from ebay.

For hook and loop fasteners, and vinyl adhesive, I am using Sound Deadener Showdown.

I just need time and space to pull my interior and I'm ready to go.
Dave

[DaveMcKenz]

Hi,
I am about 20 hours into my soundproofing project. I ran a rear view camera and wires for a rear door popper. Stripping took me about 4 hours. Putting things back is more time consuming. I wanted to get the front carpet and seats back in after soundproofing the floors, so the car will be drivable. The seats and center console need quite a bit of persuading because of the extra thickness involved. The floors seem totally dead. Since my interior is still out, I can't evaluate the overall sound level since I have bare metal from floors up. We'll see in the next week or so. Maybe 12 more hours of work, maybe more.
Dave

[BeeVenom]

I have 'dynomat' in my proton, but i tried 'damplifier pro' and 'luxury liner pro' in my 73 Challenger and THAT STUFF is Awesome!!! It's a two-layer process so it does take a long, long time to install but it's great. It's made by a company in Arizona called 'Second Skin'. I got 25% off since I'm going to advertise using their stuff on my car show posters for the challenger. Great guy to deal with too!